The family and
associates of the former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu
Obanikoro, are intensifying efforts to raise N100m to release him from the
detention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
A source said the family had taken a decision
that the former minister would not spend another week in the detention facility
of the commission.
Obanikoro flew into the country on Monday last
week and has since been held by the EFCC, whose operatives have been
interrogating him in connection with N4.7bn traced to Silva Mcnanamara, a
company in which, the commission says he has interests.
Babajide and Gbolahan,
two of Obanikoro’s sons, were said to be directors of the company when N4.7bn
was allegedly paid into the company’s accounts from the office of the National
Security Adviser in 2014.
The money was said to be part of the amount
earmarked to finance the June 21, 2014 Ekiti State governorship election, which
Governor Ayodele Fayose won, and the November 2014 governorship poll in Osun
State, which Chief Iyiola Omisore of the Peoples Democratic Party contested and
lost.
Fayose, also of the PDP, defeated the then
incumbent, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, of the All Progressives Congress, while Omisore
lost to Governor Rauf Aregbesola, of the APC.
A family source on Sunday said members of the
family were worried about the continuing detention of the minister because of
his health and were moving to ensure that he did not spend beyond Tuesday
(tomorrow) in detention.
“We are concerned about his health and we are
not ready to see him still in detention beyond Tuesday this week. The man’s
life is more important than the money they are asking him questions about,” the
source stated.
The family source confirmed that the commission
had given a condition to the former minister to raise N100m to get an
administrative bail.
“If that is the only condition to see him out
of detention for now, we are making efforts to raise that. You know the
situation of the country now, but no sacrifice is too much to make him a free man
again,” the source told Punch correspondent.
Investigation revealed that the operatives
involved in the case were dissatisfied with the former minister’s explanation
on how N785m was spent.
Obanikoro had said N785m was spent to procure
souvenirs to promote a campaign against the Boko Haram in Lagos.
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